Author: John Patrick Allanegui

Casting one’s vote during is not simply an act of choosing candidates – it is a culmination of our past and present social location, the lifelong conditions informed by our class, education, family, and religion that make us who we are and that allow us to arrive at a particular judgment of what is “best.”

Duterte’s statement echoes what many in the Philippines believe – that it is normal for men to be philanderers because it is written in their biological make-up. Many believe that men are naturally macho, and women, naturally feminine, because the sexes are born that way.

In sociology, gender is something that is socially constructed. People tend to associate particular characteristics to both men and women. Looking at this ad, we can see how it assumes that women are more likely the ones who are more victimized by violence.

The ongoing pork barrel circus is not merely a testament to the oversight of Janet Napoles and her conspirators; it is also an issue that calls us to rethink the limitations of this “iron cage of rationality,” as Max Weber puts it (image from The Manila Times).

While the movie offers a philosophical hint that human beings are inherently evil, it actually tackles two interesting issues for sociological inquiry: social control and class conflict. In a highly speculative scenario in which the citizenry regulates itself without the consequences of punishment, we ask: How does society rely on unconventional forms of social control?